Expansion plans of Indian Navy on Navy Day

New Delhi, Dec 4 (ANI): The three chiefs of Defence staff today, on the occasion of Navy Day paid their homage to the martyrs at the national war memorial at India Gate.

Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and Air Chief Marshal PV Naik paid floral tributes to the soldiers at the war memorial.

The navy, the smallest of India’s defence forces operates one of the largest forces in the Indian Ocean with a fleet of more than 155 vessels, but many of its ships are old and due for replacement.

There were presently 40 ships and submarines on order, as per navy chief. Indian navy is acquiring a number of platforms - frigates, destroyers, corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, mini counter vessels, fast interceptors and tankers, while finalising the design for the landing platform dock on the lines of INS Jalashwa.

The Navy Chief had said earlier that the Navy plans to increase its fleet strength from 130 to 170 warships within the next decade in a bid to establish itself in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

Naval Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said 60 more aircraft and 60 helicopters would also be inducted in the aviation wing of the fleet during the same period.

Admiral Verma on Wednesday said that the Indian Navy would be acquiring 40 warships and new fighter jets indigenously and from abroad.

Indian cabinet committee on security had recently approved the formation of ‘Sagar Prahari Bal’ or SPB, a new naval force formed to protect coastlines and naval bases of India. The 1,000 officers and sailors of the Indian navy forming part of SPB will commence their three-week training from January 11 at Kochi.

December 4 is celebrated every year as Navy Day. (ANI)

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/expansion-plans-of-indian-navy-on-navy-day_100284231.html#ixzz0YmObGOFK

Rare distinction for RVC : ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation to Central Military Veterinary Laboratory

The Central Military Veterinary Laboratory (CMVL) of Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) in Indian Armed Forces has been conferred accreditation by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) Deptt of Science and Technology, Govt of India in the field of Biological testing in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 : 2005 standards vide their authorized letter issued on 03 Dec 2009. CMVL is the first and the only veterinary laboratory in the country to have obtained this recognition.

RVC is one of the oldest Corps of Indian Army with Lt Gen JK Srivastava at the helm of affairs as the Director General. The Corps is mandated with the equine and canine breeding, their training, issue, deployment and management of Army Dogs, disease management and therapeutics in Army animals as well as public health of troops related to food of animal origin and zoonoses. CMVL is a premier ultra modernized laboratory of the Corps which is one of its kinds in the world undertaking multifarious tasks of research, disease, diagnosis, disease investigation, epidemiological studies, physiological anomalies, related investigations and nutrition of Army animals. The research activities undertaken by the laboratory are of significance for animal’s as well as the troops health.

The laboratory located at Meerut Cantt has been assessed by NABL with stringent protocols and qualitative requirements under ISO/IEC 17025: 2005. The laboratory by virtue of perseverance, diligence and dedication of its scientist officers complied to the rigid requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratory while no other veterinary laboratory in the country has been able to come up to fullfil these parameters.

The CMVL commanded by Col PS Narwal, can now use NABL symbol on the test results issued by the laboratory as per guidelines given in NABL -133.

S Om Singh/Rajendra/Daleep

 

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=55164

A fireball on the Indo-China border

Kolkata, India — In astronomy, unraveling the mysteries of the universe – such as the enigma of a gamma ray burst – can be daunting. A gamma ray burst is a display of immense luminosity carrying unfathomable energies. One among many exotic theories is that it is born of a “fireball.”

How does this relate to political or security issues on Earth?

The Indian Army – always warned to remain subservient to the civil leadership – conducted a military exercise codenamed “Fireball” close to the Indo-China border, near Tsomgo Lake in the northeastern state of Sikkim on Nov. 27. The mock targets were hit by precision with the heavy firepower of artillery and infantry weapons.

The capabilities of modern machines of conventional warfare like the Swedish-made Bofors gun were openly brandished. Surviving kickback controversies since they were first purchased in the 1980s, the Bofors guns have given India an edge over its adversary on the Line of Control and helped it win artillery duels in the Kargil War against archrival Pakistan in 1999.

The FH-77 Bofors guns were considerably better than the medium artillery guns available to the Pakistani Army at the time. The guns are capable of firing three rounds in 12 seconds. After Kargil, they proved their mettle during Operation Parakram in 2001 against Pakistan when they fired 80-90 rounds each day, causing immense damage to enemy posts and morale.

After the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament on Dec. 13, 2001, Operation Parakram was launched and thousands of Indian troops were deployed along the Indo-Pakistan border, as India blamed Pakistan for the attack.

Today, the Bofors guns have been deployed at altitudes ranging between 10,000 to 13,000 feet and are expected to aid the Indian troops in achieving total dominance over the enemy in unfavorable terrain.

Interestingly, these guns have a Mercedes Benz engine in them and are able to move short distances on their own. This capability helps to avoid the enemy’s counter fire.

In the Fireball exercises, Cheetah helicopters were also displayed, which are indigenous versions of the French Aerospatiale Lama SA-315 helicopters. The Cheetah is a lightweight high-performance helicopter specially designed for operations over a wide range of weight and altitude conditions. It is powered by the tried and trusted Artouste-IIIB engine, manufactured in India under license from Turbomeca of France.

The Cheetah also incorporates the latest technologies, like an automatic starting system that facilitates a start and take-off in less than one minute. Being highly maneuverable, it can carry cargo up to one megaton and also excels in observation, surveillance and logistics support and rescue operations. It comfortably seats five and can also operate in unfavorable environmental conditions.

The speaker of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, K.T. Gyaltsen, congratulated the army personnel responsible for conducting the exercise and encouraged young people present there to join the Indian Army.

The Indian government and the army may have downplayed the event by terming it an annual exercise, but two things stand out in a critical analysis of this exercise – its timing and its location.

It cannot be purely coincidental that the event was arranged at a time when Sino-Indian border relations are not exactly smooth and China has been unceasingly using blunt rhetoric against India. At one time China even reminded India of the consequences of their interactions in 1962, which led to war between the two nations in India’s northeast border region with China.

It is high time India sheds its pacifist tag in a realist world. If it has to showcase its prowess in Asia and cross the boundaries of the subcontinent, then it definitely needs to exhibit its conventional firepower, as a nuclear option is beyond feasibility.

India’s advocacy of nonalignment and disarmament after World War II was not only ethical but also a practical necessity on the ideological plane of the time. But ideological maxims do change, and India should strategically embark on a paradigm change in foreign policy, beyond mere illusions.

China’s tough talk and U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent visit to Beijing do not augur especially well for India. That Obama is envisioning a larger role for China in South Asia must have shaken India’s top diplomats from their slumber. It is no surprise then that the Indian Army chose the serene locale of the Tsomgo Lake at an altitude of 3,780 meters – just 8 kilometers from the China border – to conduct its military exercise.

Sikkim has a chequered history in Sino-Indian relations. It became an Indian state in 1975, but it took China 28 years to recognize it as part of India, in 2003. This was construed as a significant overture on China’s part and considerably alleviated border tensions.

But it seems China is flexing its muscles as Asia’s hegemon, more so in consonance with the commemoration of its 60 years of communism. On the other hand, India too has crossed 60 years of democracy. It should show its firepower and wherewithal to counteract any domineering moves in the region.

Sanity should prevail in South Asia and Asia at large and both China and India must take responsibility to assure this. But it does not mean that a country of 1 billion people should act in a servile manner. In that regard the Fireball exercise has sent an appropriate message across the border.

(Uddipan Mukherjee has a doctorate in physics from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India. He has qualified the Indian Civil Services Examination in 2007. He writes on international relations and security issues pertaining to India. He blogs at: http://uddipanmukherjee.blogspot.com. ©Copyright Uddipan Mukherjee.)

 

http://www.upiasia.com/Security/2009/12/04/a_fireball_on_the_indo-china_border/3880/

Not battle-ready before 2027, admits Indian Army

The Indian Army, one of the world's largest, has admitted it is far from being battle-ready. The force is 50 per cent short of attaining full capability.

The admission is part of the army's internal assessment report submitted to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence. Headlines Today has exclusive access to the report.

The report says it will take around 20 years for the army to gain full defence preparedness. The infantry, artillery and the armoury would be fully ready for battle only by 2027. This means that in the event of a war in the next two decades, the country may prove to be a virtual sitting duck.

Going by the report, the force seems most vulnerable as far as combat helicopters are concerned. The report says the army has attained an abysmal 17 per cent capability in combat choppers. Full combat capability by helicopters would not be possible before 2027.

Another problem is the army's inability to develop a communication network. India will not have a real-time information sharing network before 2027. The current capability is just 24 per cent despite the country's stellar show in information technology.

What's really shocking is the shortage in fighting arms. The artillery has just 52 per cent of the total capability required to defend the country. The country will near 97 per cent capability in artillery only by 2027.

The infantry too is struggling at a 65 per cent capability. The infantry wants to replace its indigenous INSAS rifles, acquire night-fighting capabilities, new generation anti-tank missiles and rockets. Shields for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare too are not properly in place.

The picture isn't rosy for the mechanised and special forces units either, which are way behind their required defence preparedness.

 

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/73457/Top%20Stories/Not+battle-ready+before+2027,+admits+Indian+Army.html 

A chronology of Ulfa since its inception

Guwahati: April 7, 1979: United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) founded under the leadership of Arabinda Rajkhowa along with five others with the aim to establish a "sovereign" Assam.


1979-1985: The group was involved in different violent activities during the six year long Assam agitation, spearheaded by All Assam Students' Union.

May 9, 1990: Ulfa kills Surendra Paul, a leading tea planter and brother of Lord Swraj Paul, causing many tea estate managers to flee the state.

Nov 28, 1990: President's rule imposed in Assam, dismissing the then Prafulla Kumar Mahanta government; Centre bans the ULFA; Indian Army launches Operation Bajrang as counter offencive against the group.

July 1, 1991: Ulfa cadre abduct 14 people including an engineer of erstwhile USSR.

Jan 14, 1992: Operation Rhino against ULFAsuspended by state government as the group agrees for talks.

Apr 11, 1992: Ulfa guns down 10 security personnel.

June 29, 1994: Vice chairman of the group Pradip Gogoi nabbed by security forces.

April 28, 1996: Lt Col Devendra Tyagi shot dead by the terrorists in the Kamakhya temple, Guwahati.

May 18, 1996: Superintendent of Police, Tinsukia, Ravi Kant Singh killed by ULFA.

Jun 8, 1997: Chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta escapes attempt on life after his convoy is ambushed by the ULFAin Guwahati.

July 4, 1997: The banned outfit kills social activist Sanjoy Ghosh.

Jan, 1998: Ulfa general secretary Anup Chetia arrested in Dhaka.

Feb 4, 1999: Ulfa and three other insurgent groups in the region launch their websites.

Sep 24, 1999: BJP Lok Sabha candidate Pannalal Oswal killed in Dhubri ahead of polls by the outfit.

Feb 27, 2000: Ulfa kills the then state PWD and forest minister, Nagen Sharma in Nalbari district.

Dec 15, 2003: Royal Bhutan Army launches military operations against the Ulfa, NDFB and KLO terrorists.

Dec 22, 2003: Ulfa seeks safe passage from China for its cadre from Bhutan.

Nov 18, 2004: Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa expresses willingness to begin a peace dialogue with the Centre.

Oct 26, 2005: Negotiations between the Centre and the Ulfa-nominated People's Consultative Group start in New Delhi.

Jan 1, 2006: Rajkhowa demands release of senior leaders of Ulfa before holding direct talks with New Delhi.

July 1, 2006: The outfit expresses willingness to hold direct talks with the Centre.

Aug 13, 2006: The Centre stops all operations by security forces against the Ulfa for a few days.

Aug 31, 2006: Paresh Barua in a communique assures the Union Government that its jailed leaders will not abscond, after being released.

Sep 24, 2006: Government resumes counter-insurgency operations against Ulfa after the deadline for ceasefire expired on September 20.

Sep 27, 2006: PCG pulls out from the peace talks with the Union Government.

Oct 30, 2008: About 77 persons killed and more than 300 injured in 13 near-simultaneous blasts in Assam.

Dec 21, 2008: General secretary of Ulfa, Golap Barua alias Anup Chetia, moves to the UN for refugee status once released from Bangladesh jail where he was under trial.

Jul 21, 2008: The Centre confirms that Paresh Baruah has moved out of Bangladesh for some time.

Oct 14, 2008: Home minister P Chidambaram said talks with the Ulfa only after it abjures violence.

Nov 6, 2009: Ulfa's 'foreign secretary' Sashadhar Choudhury and 'finance secretary' Chitraban Hazarika surrender before BSF near Agartala.

Dec 4, 2009 : Ulfa 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa and 'Deputy commander-in-chief' Raju Baruah along with family members surrender to Indian authorities along Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya.

 

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_a-chronology-of-ulfa-since-its-inception_1320025 

Armed forces are fully prepared to counter any challenges: Defence Ministry

New Delhi , Dec 4 (ANI): Central Government on Friday clarified that Indian armed Forces are fully prepared, battle-worthy and capable to counter any challenges at very short notice, in keeping with the task assigned to defend the nation.

In a clarification given by the Defence Ministry in the wake of reports in a section of the media regarding the Army not being fully combat ready, it said: “The modernisation is a deliberate process and is progressive in nature, the deficiency of the military hardware is reviewed at regular intervals and replacement of these are projected after deliberation based on the operational requirement and enhancement of operational efficiency keeping pace with modernization.”

“Projection of military hardware requirements has already been made and these are at various stages of procurement. The Defence procurement procedure is also amended periodically to ensure transparency and effectiveness in procurement,” it added.

The Defence Ministry further stated that : “The combat efficiency of the Army at no point be doubted as the military preparedness and combat efficiency is the foremost and primary task. There has been no compromise in this issue. The progress of modernization is monitored closely at various levels to minimize the shortfall.” (ANI)

 

http://trak.in/news/armed-forces-are-fully-prepared-to-counter-any-challenges-defence-ministry/31432/

France offers to sell artillery, tanks to India

NEW DELHI: France offered Friday to sell artillery and tanks to the Indian army as the two sides expand existing defense ties now that India has emerged as a major arms buyer.

Defense relations between India and France have deepened over the last few years, and the two countries share similar views on global terrorism and regional security, French Defense Minister Herve Morin told reporters.

Morin said he discussed with his Indian counterpart A.K. Antony the possibility of New Delhi buying artillery and tanks from his country. He did not provide details.

They also discussed upgrading nearly 50 French Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft currently being used by the Indian air force and six Scorpene submarines that are being built in a dockyard near Mumbai, he said.

Morin also said India and France agreed to exchange intelligence to counter the threat posed by terrorism to both countries.

A French Embassy statement said Morin's talks in New Delhi were also in preparation for the proposed visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to India early next year.Morin was to leave for Paris later Friday.

 http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=France+offers+to+sell+artillery,+tanks+to+India&artid=|ps|dbBb9kI=&SectionID=b7ziAYMenjw=&MainSectionID=b7ziAYMenjw=&SectionName=pWehHe7IsSU=&SEO=

India to decide on its role in Afghanistan: US

NEW DELHI: The US has not sought Indian troop deployment in Afghanistan and it was for New Delhi to decide on a possible military role in that country, Admiral Robert F. Wilard, who heads the US Pacific Command, said on Friday even as he praised India's "rebuilding role" in Afghanistan.

"We have not sought any ground level cooperation (deployment) from India. We are happy with India's rebuilding role in Afghanistan," Willard told reporters here.

"It (deployment of Indian troops in Afghanistan) is for Indian military and establishment to decide," he added.

Willard reiterated that "succeeding in Afghanistan and stabilising Pakistan" are in the larger interests of the US. The US has announced addition of 30,000 troops in Afghanistan and has envisaged boosting of the Afghan National Army.

"This (sending of more troops to Afghanistan) will start but there is no end date on the withdrawal of troops," said Willard.

Willard met Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and Air Force vice chief Air Marshal P.K. Barbora Thursday. He also met Defence Secretary Pradeep Thakur.

India has time and again ruled out sending troops to Afghanistan to be part of the US-led offensive but has been providing developmental and medical aid as mandated by the United Nations.

India's military interaction with Afghanistan has been through training its military officers in the National Defence Academy here. It also runs a medical facility in Afghanistan staffed by army doctors. It has also posted instructors to teach English and martial music to Afghan soldiers and officers.

India is heavily investing in Afghanistan, particularly in infrastructure projects such as roads, hospitals, schools and the new parliament building in Kabul. Indian reconstruction aid totals $1.5 billion.

India had hosted Afghan army's chief General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi earlier this year. Mohammadi has also been seeking enhanced military cooperation between the two countries.

 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/India-to-decide-on-its-role-in-Afghanistan-US-/articleshow/5300537.cms